Leveson shows how press can regain public respect

EVEN though there were three victors in last week's by-elections it felt like dusk had set on British democracy. Turnout dropped below 33 per cent in all three ballots, Labour safe-seat majorities were slashed and the coalition parties were pushed behind a rag-tag of radicals - the result of a yawning fracture between the political elite and the public they serve.

PUBLISHED: 00:00, Sun, Dec 2, 2012

In recent years institutions have been brought low by scandal, greed and a disregard for plain decency.

Revelations of wholesale expense abuses by MPs and widespread phone hacking by the press have eroded public trust and undermined reputations forged through centuries of selfless public duty. Now Westminster and the press must prove they can regain relevance and respect.

In recent years institutions have been brought low by scandal, greed and a disregard for plain decency

Against this backdrop the Leveson report should be seen as a seminal moment for democracy and two of its most important but tarnished institutions.

Over time Leveson will come to stand as a testament to how slovenly our society had become: an inept police, a cosy power elite, a reckless press. But for now Leveson is a signpost to how politicians and the media can begin to repair the cracks in the democratic bedrock and move forward.

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